


Willfully

by nicodiver



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Anal Sex, Blood and Gore, Cannibalism, Consent, Crying Hannibal, Dark Will, Declarations Of Love, Fluff, Fluffy Feelings, Kissing, Late at Night, Love, M/M, Murder Husbands, Night thoughts, Possessive Hannibal, Post-Episode: s03e13 The Wrath of the Lamb, Soul Bond, They love each other so much, Trust Issues, emotional kissing and hugging, even darker hannibal, hannibal is thinking, hannigram fluff, im an emotional mess, morning conservation, needing each other, they need each other, will does the same later, youre the beat to my heart, youre the breath to my lungs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-02
Updated: 2015-10-18
Packaged: 2018-04-24 10:31:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4916116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nicodiver/pseuds/nicodiver
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hannibal is lying awake in the night, contemplating what happened after the fight with Dolarhyde and how his life turned out after it. </p><p>This also tells Will's and Hannibal's story after season 3.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The night had spread its dark wings over the sky. Twinkling stars dotted the black sky. The moon had passed its full shape and was now half-eaten by darkness.

Six days had passed since Will had embraced him, told him that his life, _his_ world was beautiful. And with the embrace, he had fully accepted Hannibal in his life and started his _becoming_. Hannibal could not recall any moment in his life that was more beautiful than that particular moment. He had searched in his mind palace for it, but he had found nothing that could compare. Will fully accepting him, seeing him, _acknowledging_ him for the first time was the most blissful moment in Hannibal's life. Will willfully leaning into his chest, grasping his shoulder and pulling him close, just resting there for a moment in his arms... It had taken his breath away.

Now, Will lay beside him, sound asleep. His wounds had healed well, the stab wound from Dolarhyde had begun scarring but it still had a long process to go before it would be a complete scar. Luckily, they had found a medicine cabinet in the cabin they now resided in. The medicine cabinet and its contents had helped them a lot, though it would take a long time to heal, both internally and externally after all that happened to them, but they didn't need to hurry. The cabin they had found after having rowed for hours that night, was on a hidden spot along a secluded beach and Hannibal assumed that none of the police officers would look for them. He hoped Freddie Lounds had declared them both dead and buried. They were safe here as long as they needed. If something unexpected happened, Hannibal would be there for Will, he would protect him and no one would take him away from him again. He would not allow it. They would never go separate ways again.

_"I need you Hannibal."_

The words still echoed in his head. There was nothing that mattered more than those four words. Will needed him in his life, it was a fact and it was unavoidable. He didn't want to avoid it. Will _needing_ him was what he had sought for all along. That Will realizing that he needed Hannibal, it meant more than anything else.

Hannibal blinked up against the darkness of the room, a lone tear of indescribable joy trailing down his cheek. He turned to Will, followed his chest's movements with his eyes, _up, down, up, down. _Took in every second of the moment; Will lying beside him, by his own will.__

__Hannibal moved closer to Will and put his arm gently across Will's chest and placed his head on his shoulder. He closed his eyes and sighed loudly, he felt calm and _whole_ , as if all the missing pieces of the puzzle he had lost during his life time found their way back to each other. It was only Will that could evoke that feeling from him. Will was everything to him._ _

__-_ _

__The sunlight streamed through the thin curtain that hid the window. Will wrinkled his nose by the sudden light, and opened his eyes slowly. He looked at the body lying asleep beside him, Hannibal's body. The memories from a couple of days ago flashed before his eyes and he smiled. Life had become more beautiful since he had accepted his wish to be with Hannibal. It had a different color, a different shade that was stronger and more beautiful than before. He couldn't understand how he could have resisted his wish to be with Hannibal for so long. Eventually the desire had become so strong that he had been forced to express it. He had become so desperate and full of need, his body had ached to touch Hannibal and then while they were standing there, looking at each other in the light of the moon, he had finally succumbed to the scorching pain of desire. When he had touched Hannibal's shoulder and Hannibal had embraced him in return, the pain had ebbed away, piece by piece, and when they had plunged down the cliff, he felt reborn anew. A new life was waiting ahead of him now. A new life was waiting for _them_. A life they did not know what it would look like, but at least they had each other to cling to. Hannibal and Will. Two newborn men who had just tried their wings together._ _

__Hannibal moved uneasily in his sleep, Will was awakened from his thoughts and looked at the other man's troubled face. His eyes moved violently beneath the eyelids, his mouth opened and closed as if he was not able to breathe. His breath came out in uneven puffs and the muscles in his arms tightened. The pulse on his neck fluttered like a hummingbird's wings and beads of sweat formed on his forehead._ _

__"Will! No...", he whispered anxiously, his face full of pain._ _

__Will crept closer to him and took his hand in his, stroking with trembling fingers. His mouth was only a few centimeters away from Hannibal's ear. Some silvery strands of hair brushed his lips._ _

__"I'm here Hannibal. I am here and I will never leave you again," he whispered tenderly._ _

__Hannibal's eyes flitted open and it was like he saw Will for the first time in his life. He squeezed Will's hand harder, and pushed Will's body against his. Their chest's touched, and Will could feel Hannibal's heart beat quickly through the skin. It was an unusual feeling. In the years they had known each other, Hannibal's pulse had always been smooth and steady, even when he murdered, butchered and ate people. Cold and inhuman; it was the picture Will had painted of Hannibal, but now that image was shattered and replaced by a new image: the warm and emotional Hannibal. Hannibal the human._ _

__"You were drowning. Choking on the Atlantic's unforgiving water. I was unable to save you," Hannibal whispered, his voice small and empty. Like a child having its first nightmare. Will wondered if he was close to crying._ _

__"I'm right here Hannibal. See?" he said quietly in return and put Hannibal's hand on his heart. "I will not leave you," he added. Hannibal's breathing calmed down, he was staring into Will's eyes as he felt his heart beating steady against his hand._ _

__"Do you promise you will not leave me Will? Can you promise such a thing of importance?" he asked, feeling his body relaxing with each beat of Will's heart._ _

__Will nodded, his gaze filled with determination, not an inch of uncertainty residing there._ _

__"I promise Hannibal," he whispered and his soft lips touched Hannibal's. Warmth spread through Hannibal's body as he realized Will was kissing him. _Willfully_.__


	2. Chapter 2

Hannibal opened his eyes, sweat beads covered his forehead as he stared into the soft morning light that dance around in the room. He was woken by the same nightmare he had just a couple of hours ago. Will drowning, choking on the water that filled his lungs. Hannibal hadn’t been able to save him, he had just watched as the other man sunk into deeper into the abyss, disappearing from his reach.

Hannibal closed his eyes for a second, removing the image of Will drowning and took a deep breath, easing his thundering heartbeat before he turned around, facing Will’s sleeping face. The sun caressed his brown curls, causing them to glow in the morning light. His face was content, relaxed – he looked safe. Hannibal’s chest swelled, Will was feeling safe, so safe that he even dared to sleep next to him. Nothing could make him more filled with joy than Will feeling safe with _him_. 

He smiled and gave Will’s forehead a quick kiss before he quietly went out from the bed and into the small kitchen. He opened the various kitchen drawers, looking for a perfect knife or two. All of them were either dull or rusty. He wrinkled his nose in disapproval, thinking that he needed to go to the nearest town and buy new ones they could actually use. He sighed, he’d hoped for having a relaxed morning together with Will, but it seemed like his wishes wouldn’t be fulfilled today. He could at least take comfort in that more mornings with Will would come. The thought made him smile.

He went into the bathroom and looked at himself in the way too small mirror for his comfort. His eyes had returned to their usual strong brown color, they were not as dim as they had been before, which meant that the medicine had started working. He gave the gunshot wound a quick glance, it was still red and infected but it seemed like the infection was slowly fading. Good. His body was adorned with tiny scars already, but they would too fade away. Time was what he needed. Time was what _they_ needed. 

Hannibal went quietly back to the bedroom and opened one of the small wardrobes, searching for something he could wear. He decided for a maroon tight buttoned shirt and a matching pair of black pants. The fabric was okay but he would’ve liked it to be a finer quality. He needed new clothes, but it had to wait, they needed to get new identities and jobs first. Hannibal always had something up his sleeve though, he would figure something out that worked for them.

Hannibal wondered what he would work with. He couldn’t work as a psychiatrist anymore due to people may recognize him and he was tired of helping people who didn’t even want to be helped. No, being a psychiatrist was a finished chapter in his life. He needed to give the thought of a new job more time. He gave himself one quick glance in the mirror before he went out of the cabin in search of some good knifes and something to eat.

-

Will yawned widely, he blinked a few times and tried to remember where he was. Cabin, beach, bed – with Hannibal. Hannibal? Where was he? A taste of fear filled his mouth. He tumbled out of the bed and started looking for the other man.

“Hannibal? Hannibal! Where are you?” he called nervously as he scoured the small cabin. Hannibal was nowhere to be found. Had the police been here and taken him? No, that was unlikely, they would’ve taken him too. He sat down next to the small kitchen table and stared at the ticking wooden clock on the wall. 12 am. He’d been sleeping for hours. 

Worry for Hannibal nagged at him but he decided not to think about it. Hannibal was probably out doing something, but Will hated that he hadn’t told him where he was going. He hadn’t even left a note. Will sighed deeply and rubbed his eyes, suddenly remembering last night. He smiled at the memory, seeing Hannibal vulnerable for the first time in his life… It had been quite an experience and it had shown just how human Hannibal was beneath the cold surface Will had come to know. And Will loved both sides of him; the cold murderer and the warm human Will only had seen a glimpse of yet. 

Hannibal suddenly came inside through the door, holding three grocery bags in his hands. He was dressed in a brown jacket, black pants and a pair of thin, black glasses rested on top of his nose. He looked completely different, like a family man; kind and warm. Will wouldn’t have recognized him if he didn’t know him so well.

Hannibal smiled at Will and put down the grocery bags on the small kitchen table where Will was sitting. They nearly had enough room on the table.

“Hannibal!” Will exclaimed relieved and embraced him quickly. Hannibal’s arms locked around him in a tight hug and continued to hold him, not letting him go. He nuzzled Will’s healthy cheek and kissed it with soft lips. Will was suddenly filled with deep emotion, tears burned at the corners of his eyes and he had to swallow several times to not start crying. Hannibal embracing him like that… It was so unusual, he wasn’t used to this kind of intimacy, but he needed it so bad. He couldn’t imagine a day without feeling Hannibal’s touch or presence. He needed it like he needed air. Since that day on the cliff, he knew he would never go back to his old life and he knew that he would never live his new life without Hannibal.

“I thought you were gone! Why didn’t you tell me where you were? You didn’t even leave a note!” Will asked, sudden anger burning through him. He wiped a tear from his eye and let go of Hannibal, stepping backwards a few meters, leaving space between them.

Hannibal gave him a sardonic smile and took off his glasses.

“I was grocery shopping”, he replied shortly as he began unpacking the bags, putting the various kind of wares where they belonged.

Will frowned.

“Grocery shopping?” he asked mockingly, crossing his arms over his bare chest. “How? We don’t have any credit cards to buy anything. Our personal belongings were left at the house. And you took a huge risk by going out like that! How did you even manage to get home with all this food by foot? Did you steal a car or what did you do?!” Will was suddenly so upset it shocked him. But Hannibal going out like that, without telling him, it was by far the most reckless thing Hannibal had ever done.

Hannibal was unfazed by Will’s sudden explosion of emotions. 

“My dear Will”, he said calmly, gazing at Will while he stuffed away a bag with tomatoes into the fridge. “I always have control over things. I don’t quite understand why you would be so upset? I thought you knew me?” he mused and stroked Will’s cheek with a finger. 

Will sighed angrily, remembering that Hannibal was one of the smartest human he’d ever met. Of course he would know how to do things like this.

“So…” he said, gesturing at Hannibal’s outfit. “This is one of your backup identities if everything would go to hell?”

Hannibal nodded, putting the now empty grocery bags in one of the drawers. Then he opened the fridge and took out four eggs, two different kinds of cheese and butter. He reached for a locker, opened it and put pepper, salt and nutmeg on the table.

“How did you get money then? And how did you come back here?” Will asked sourly, his stomach growling as Hannibal started cooking breakfast.

“I went to a nearby bank, stood in queue and took out cash by the name Lucas. You'll be called Adam by the way", he replied, giving him a ID-card and a passport with a picture of him and his handwriting, continuing: 

"Then I bought a bus card that you can use as well, and proceeded to the grocery store. No one recognized me or spoke to me”, he said as he heated a frying pan Will hadn’t see before. 

Will pondered for a moment, hardly believing this whole situation. He knew that Hannibal was a rich man, what he couldn’t understand was how he could create so many different identities. Also, how could he had gone to the police station, getting him an ID-card _and_ a passport, insisting that he's some guy called Adam without the police noticing that he's Hannibal Lecter? Another mystery kept a secret… He sighed and decided to let it go. They had money and new identities, and those two things were required to survive right now. He was glad Hannibal had gotten him a new identity and it didn't really matter how he had done it.

“Did you see anything about us in the news? Where are we?” he then asked, looking at Hannibal’s hand holding a spatula which he used to move the contents around in the frying pan.

“Yes, we're still in the US and same state as before. We didn't drift that far from the house. Freddie Lounds has announced us dead or alive. The police are investigating, but they won’t find us here. I promise Will”, Hannibal responded with reassurance in his eyes. “But if they do find us”, he said, leaving the stove for a moment as he curled his arms around Will’s hips, pulling him close. Will could feel Hannibal’s body temperature radiating warmly underneath the fabric, seeping into his skin. Something stirred inside Will as he felt the warmth from Hannibal.

“I will protect you. I won’t let them take you”, Hannibal added softly as he looked into Will’s eyes, nuzzling his nose for a second. Will smiled shyly, he felt so _small_ when Hannibal looked at him like that. Just small, as if Hannibal was a majestic mountain standing before him.

"I'm glad you will, I'll protect you too", Will murmured, smiling and meaning every word. He'd go through fire and flames to protect Hannibal.

With his eyes firmly locked on Will, Hannibal tilted his head and sealed Will’s lips with his, their noses brushed for a moment which made Will smile awkwardly but Hannibal didn’t seem to be bothered. He kissed Will’s smooth lips slowly, as if he wanted this moment to last forever. He cupped Will’s neck, the brown curls tickling his hand as he pulled Will’s face closer and tasted his lips with the tip of his tongue. Will let out a quiet moan as Hannibal’s tongue played over his lips, he reached for Hannibal’s groin and touched it which made Hannibal sigh contentedly in return. And just like that, the intimate moment was over. Will stared at Hannibal’s back with his breath stuck in his throat as the man returned to the stove and continued with the cooking. How could he snare him like that and then just let it go?

“Can’t allow the food to be burnt now Will, can we?” he said as if he had heard Will’s thoughts and removed the omelet from the frying pan. He cut it in small pieces and served it beautifully on two separate plates.

“Go dress yourself, then you can come and dine together with me”, Hannibal said as he put the two plates on the table together with two coffee cups. 

Will chuckled and went into the bedroom to dress himself. He found a plaid shirt and a pair of jeans in his size, wondering who they belonged to as he put them on his body. He looked at himself in the mirror, glancing at the stab wound in his cheek. It was healing but it would leave a horrible scar. At least, no one would identify him as easily as they would have done without it.

“I need a haircut”, he thought before he returned to the kitchen and sat down at one side of the table. Hannibal filled their cups with nice-smelling coffee before he sat down opposite of Will.

“Bon appetite”, Hannibal smirked and started eating the omelet. It was a bit unusual eating something normal, he missed the taste of human flesh, three years without it, he hoped he and Will would go out hunting together soon.

After they had eaten, they just sat and looked at each other, never breaking eye contact. Will licked his lips, the omelet had tasted delicious and he couldn’t wait to eat more food cooked by Hannibal. 

“Will”, Hannibal asked suddenly, his brown eyes digging into Will’s blue. Will arched an eyebrow. 

“Yes Hannibal?” he said quizzically.

Hannibal smiled shyly for a moment before he opened his mouth to speak. Will had never seen him smile like that, it was unfamiliar but adorable.

“Would you like to go to Europe with me?” Hannibal asked, his eyes filled with hope of a new future in another place for them.

Will smiled, a warm feeling spreading through him as he envisioned them going to Europe, side by side, together in this new world that they were going to create for each other.

“Yes,” he simply replied and Hannibal grabbed his hand, kissed it softly, never breaking eye-contact.

“Then we’re going to Europe”, Hannibal confirmed, stroking Will’s hand playfully with his fingers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I don't disappoint anyone with making a continuation of this story. I've gotten so many ideas and I have planned so much for it so I couldn't just let it be a one-shot.


	3. Chapter 3

It was a week left until the aircraft would lift them towards Europe. 7 days, 168 hours and 10080 minutes. They had already started packing their belongings Hannibal had purchased for them. He had bought new clothes and shoes, all from expensive and exclusive brands along with two large suitcases. They would shop the rest they needed once they landed in Europe. They had yet to find somewhere to live, but Hannibal had promised Will that he would arrange it as soon as they arrived. Their first stop was Florence as Hannibal had asked Will where in Europe he wanted to go first, and Will had said Florence almost immediately.

"You wanted to show me Florence", had Will said as they sat huddled together in the small sofa. Hannibal had given Will's head an affectionate kiss and said that he would show Will the amazing buildings and the art that resided in Florence, he would show him everything that Will had missed when he had been there the first time.

"Gladly," Will had said and they had kissed.

Will sat with his toes buried in the soft sand and looked out to sea. It flowed merrily towards the bridge that was strapped close to the beach. The sun was going down to the horizon, the sky was bright red with dots of orange.  
For the first time in his life, Will felt really relaxed, which he hadn’t done in quite a long while. He had glimpses of it during the time he was married to Molly, but it hadn’t been the same compared to what he felt now. His whole being was tranquil, every muscle was relaxed as he sat and watched the sunset, listening to the birds singing in the evening.

He laid down in the sun's warm sand and lifted his hands in front of his face. The slim golden ring was still firmly around his finger. The documents which tied him with Molly still existed. He hoped she had made a posthumous divorce and had burned the ring Will had bought her. Maybe she had made something nice of it, perhaps she had made a jewelry of it to the dogs. Or she had just thrown it away.

Will touched the ring, it's usually cold surface was warm by the sun and his own body heat. He coaxed it gently and looked at it between his fingers, it glistened beautifully in the sun's last rays. It belonged to an old part of his life that he didn’t want anything to do with anymore. He should throw it away, but that would mean he would throw away all of his old self. Did he want to keep parts of his old self? The only right thing to do was throw away the ring that had no significance anymore… He bit his lips thoughtfully and played with the ring between his fingers.

A swan landed gracefully in the water a few meters away from him. It looked at him with black eyes and emitted a purring sound. Another swan came flying and landed beside it. They swam around each other before they paused and cleaned each other's feathers. Will smiled at them and wished he had his camera with him to capture this moment.

He put the ring back at his finger, continuing to look on it, soon disappearing into his thoughts along to the swan’s song.

-

Hannibal put the beef tender loin into the oven, set the clock on one hour and wiped his hands on a towel. It was nice, cooking again. He had missed it during the time he was in prison. The memories from the prison made goose bumps of discomfort cover his arms. He never wanted to end up in the same situation again. He had earned it to some extent, but the day when Alana had taken away all his possessions, including the things he really needed was when the worst time began. They had forced him to be among the other prisoners for a couple of days, bound in the straightjacket and silenced by the mask. He was forced to eat their badly made food and some of the inmates had even dared to beat him. They had seen him as an object, as something they could conquer and own.

Hannibal closed his eyes and put the memories back into his mind palace. There were many things from prison he hadn’t been able to tell Will. It had to wait. He washed his hands and looked out the window, saw Will lying in the sand, the evening sun shining down on him. He was watching the ring he still carried around his finger. 

A wave of anger flashed through Hannibal when he saw the ring. Why had Will not gotten rid of it yet? He had worn it for too long, it was high time to throw it away now. He stepped into a pair of ugly black shoes Will had left at the door and walked through the sand, sat down next to Will, who immediately sat up at the first sight of him. He smiled embarrassed when he realized why Hannibal looked so stern.

"I have thought of throwing it away Hannibal", Will said gently with a soft smile. "So you need not to worry," he added.

Hannibal glanced at him for a moment before he answered.

"May I ask why you still have it curled around your finger Will?" His voice was demanding.

Will smiled shyly, his brow furrowed somewhat as if he was hiding something. Hannibal took a hard hold of Will's hand and looked at the tiny object that made him boil with anger.

"Tell me, Will," he pleaded intensely and was surprised how insecure he felt for a sudden. Why did he feel this insecure just because of this small object? Hadn’t Will shown him enough just how much he wanted Hannibal in his life?

"It's just..." Will murmured uncertainly, he seemed a bit frightened of Hannibal's sudden anger. Hannibal felt a stab of remorse but he masked it well. He needed Will telling him why he still had the ring.

Will pulled his hand away from Hannibal, avoiding Hannibal’s gaze for a moment, watching the swans cuddled together in the orange tinted water.

"I just feel unsure about whether I am ready to let my old self go," he replied eventually and was still avoiding meeting Hannibal’s eyes. “That’s why I’m keeping it.”

Relief washed over Hannibal, he thought it was something more than just _this_. He pondered Will’s words for a moment.

"It's okay Will, I understand if you are not ready to let go of your old self yet," he replied simply, and watched the swans. "But the day you are ready to let go of your old life, I would like to be with you," he added quietly.  
Will smiled softly at Hannibal, glad that he was so understanding.

"Thank you," he whispered and gave Hannibal's cheek a kiss. "It means a lot."

Hannibal put his arms around him and pulled him close, their faces were only a few centimeters apart. Hannibal's breathing became deeper as he felt Will's body so close to him, every time they were close, he fell in love with Will all over again.  
Will closed his eyes and caught Hannibal's lips with his. Hannibal intertwined his fingers in Will’s curls and pulled him closer. The sense of Will's lips locked with his, took his breath away. Will tasted on his lips, and Hannibal opened his mouth with a soft groan. Will groaned when he felt the taste of Hannibal, his spine tingled when Hannibal's hands began to follow the contours of his body.

Will pushed Hannibal gently down in the sand and sat astride him. He bent down toward Hannibal's neck and gave it light kisses, Hannibal stroked his hands over Will's back, every cell in his body burned with love for the man on top of him. He moaned when Will nibbled a piece of skin on his neck and gave it a love bite. Will's breathing grew quicker when he felt Hannibal's heart flutter against his lips. It was so unusual but so wonderful, he loved every second of it and he wanted more of the _human_ Hannibal. He made an effort to take his shirt off, but Hannibal stopped him with a hand curled around his wrist.

"Let's save this. Until later," whispered Hannibal, his voice thick of desire. Will felt a twinge of disappointment but Hannibal looked so determined, so he didn’t protest. He gave Hannibal's neck a kiss before he jumped off him, stood up and brushed away the sand that covered his clothes.

Hannibal followed Will, stood up and brushed off the sand. The swans sang happily in the water where they were swimming, they looked curiously at Will and Hannibal who looked back at them.

"Swans are together all their lives," Hannibal said softly and took Will's hand. "They are a symbol of eternal love, among many other things," he added while he kept his eyes on Will. "They symbol transformation and purification. It’s nice that they have chosen to mate right here, where we are right now," he muttered, more to himself than to Will.

Will smiled at Hannibal's poetic side and kissed his hand. "You have so much knowledge about things. It fascinates me," he said softly and smiled. Hannibal pulled him close again and hugged him tightly.

"You have always fascinated me ever since you stumbled down the hall of my beginnings," Hannibal whispered into Will’s ear and kept him against his chest. Will closed his eyes and enjoyed being in Hannibal's presence.

The swans flapped in the water and then they lifted to the sky. The sun went down over the horizon and the sky shone bright orange before the colors faded away and turned into darker tones.

The two men went back to the cabin, hand in hand.

-

"That was the most delicious dish I've ever had," sighed Will contentedly with his stomach full of gourmet food.

Hannibal smiled softly at him across the table and took a sip of the white wine. It had an exquisite taste.

"What is the first thing you want to see when we arrive in Florence Will?" he then asked as he lit a candle that stood on the side of the table.

Will thought for a moment,  
"First I would like to leave all the baggage in our home, but then a walk across that bridge would be nice… What's the name again?"

"You mean the Ponte Vecchio. Of course we will go there first Will," Hannibal smiled, playing with the top of the wine glass with his index finger. "Whatever you ask for, I will take you there."

Will could barely understand what he had done to deserve Hannibal, it was unbelievable and sometimes he felt he didn’t deserve the man in front of him. He smiled shyly and took a sip of the wine, it tasted sweet and fresh in his mouth.

Hannibal suddenly stood up from the table and went to a small stereo standing on a table next to the sofa. He pressed play and a melody with violin strings mixed together with a piano filled the room.

"May I ask for a dance?" Hannibal asked playfully half leaning forward with one arm tucked behind his back and the other hand open and inviting to Will.

Will chuckled, stood up and took Hannibal's hand in his.

"Of course," he said and let Hannibal lead him into a slow dance. They danced in time with the tranquil music and kept their eyes at each other while they danced. Will leaned his head against Hannibal's chest and Hannibal leaned his chin over Will's head. Will closed his eyes and listened to Hannibal calm heartbeat, immediately he felt a peaceful feeling embracing him. 

Hannibal continued to lead Will in their calm dance until the song ended. They paused for a moment and looked at each other in the light of the moon outside. Tears glistened in Hannibal's eyes, and Will felt a stab of concern. He cupped Hannibal's cheek and stroked it with gentle fingers. Hannibal leaned his cheek against Will’s hand, closing his eyes. A small tear slid down his cheek.

"I love you, Will," he murmured quietly, Will could see that he was vulnerable again, he wished that Hannibal wouldn’t feel like that, he shouldn’t feel like that now when he knew that Will had chosen him over everything else.

"And I love you, Hannibal, more than I can explain," Will replied, cupped both hands around Hannibal's cheeks and kissed him tenderly, his face becoming a bit damp as Hannibal’s tears continued to fall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would recommend listening to the song "Time forgets..." by Yiruma to get an idea to what the song they're dancing to sounds like. Also, yes, I ripped a sentence from Dolce's script cause it's so beautiful and I thought it would fit.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

Will yawned as the plane stopped at its destination. The flight had been long and his neck was hurting badly from sitting in the same position for hours. Hannibal had bought first class for them, but Will had a bit of a flight fright so he hadn't moved an inch expect when he had needed to visit the bathroom.

Hannibal was sleeping soundly next to him, his face relaxed. People around them took their hand baggage and started queuing to get out of the plane. Will nudged Hannibal’s arm softly and kissed his cheek. Hannibal’s eyes opened slowly and Will saw his own reflection in his iris.

"We’ve arrived” Will said quietly, caressing Hannibal’s hand.

Hannibal just nodded and rubbed sleep out of his eyes before moving out to the walk, grabbing their hand baggage.

After quite a while of queuing they finally got outside. A warm breeze met them as they walked down the stairs. The landscape around them bathed in an orange light as the sun was going up the horizon.

At the airport, they waited for their baggage and then proceeded to take a taxi to Florence. It was a two-hour long drive and Will found himself drifting in and out of sleep, dreaming about the stag. He was sitting at the beach and the stag was standing next to him, looking at the sea. It was the first time he had been feeling comfortable next to it. It leaned down to his face and nuzzled him, being careful that its horns didn’t hurt him.

Will reached out his hand to its muzzle, drew his fingers through its soft fur, feeling the warmth it emitted. The stag closed its eyes, enjoying Will’s touch.

“You remind me a bit of Hannibal”, Will said to the stag and it opened its eyes, seeming to understand what he was saying.

“You’re a beautiful creature, though you have scared me a lot. Though, you seem nicer now when Hannibal is nicer”, Will said questioningly and frowned. “You’re Hannibal? You’ve been the image of Hannibal all the time, right?” he exclaimed, suddenly feeling opened as if Hannibal had seen right through his skull.

The stag looked at him sympathetically, its eyes crooked a little as if it was smiling.

Will woke up with a gasp.

“Having dreams Will?” Hannibal asked with his soothing psychiatrist voice, looking at Will with an amused gaze. 

“Yeah… I dreamed that…” He paused as the taxi drove into Florence, the sun shone down on the city, coloring every building orange as if the city was on fire. Florence hadn’t been this beautiful the last time Will had visited. It was as if his world had grown more beautiful since he accepted Hannibal’s love.

“It’s beautiful”, he said, completely spellbound as he pressed a hand on the car’s window, wanting to touch the burning city.

“I know, and you’ll see even more stunning things than this Will”, Hannibal murmured beside him as he took his hand and kissed it.

-

The taxi stopped outside the hotel. Hannibal hadn’t found any place they could live yet so for the mean time, they would stay at the hotel. Hannibal stepped out of the car and took their bags, Will wanted to help but Hannibal refused him as a butler greeted them and took their bags.

“Follow me Mister Adam and Mister Lucas, I will take you to the presidential suite.”

They followed the butler as he took them through a large dining area that resided inside the hotel and then they took the elevator to floor one. He guided them into an enormous room with a frescoed vaulted ceiling and renaissance furniture.

“Just call us if you need any assistance”, the butler said and bowed before he went out of the room, closing the door.

Will looked around the living room of the hotel room, feeling as if he was in a renaissance church. This room must have cost a fortune to book, Hannibal must have queued for it to get it available for them. He wondered if Hannibal had started queuing when he had told him he wanted to show him Florence.

Hannibal opened their own private bar and took out an exclusive Italian wine, poured it into two glasses and gave one of them to Will, who was now standing outside on their own private terrace, looking over the park.

“This is amazing Hannibal, how could you even afford all of this?” he asked breathlessly, taking a sip of the wine to calm his nerves. It was too much, how could he even accept such a gift as this?

“I can afford everything as long as it is for you”, he replied softly, drinking from the wine. Will just frowned, still astounded as he drank all of the wine. Hannibal was quick with refilling it.

“Do you want to sleep some more, or are you fine with the rest you had on the plane and the drive here?” Hannibal asked as he put away the wine bottle. He put his arm around Will’s waist, drawing him closer.

“I feel a bit taken aback by all of this, I think I need a little rest”, Will confessed and set the glass on a small table.

“You feeling taken aback… It’s not a bad feeling right?” Hannibal asked anxiously. He would hate if this was over the top for Will. He only wanted him to have the best and had meant no harm with booking this hotel room. But if this was too much for Will, then he had to adjust to that and book something else.

Will looked at Hannibal, seeing his worried face and wanting to kiss the worry away. He put his arms around Hannibal and hugged him closely.

“You don’t have to be so worried Hannibal, I love this, this is amazing. It’s the most beautiful hotel room I’ve ever seen and I’m going to love it here. It’s just… I’m not used to this kind of taste. When I’ve traveled, I’ve only chosen what I have been able to afford. I never could’ve afford anything close to this”, he explained as he listened to Hannibal’s elevated breathing. He really had become worried… Will wanted to take all his worry away and lock it somewhere. He needed Hannibal to understand that he needn’t be so worried, he needed him to know that he was _enough_.

Hannibal’s grasp of Will became harder.

“I’m sorry Will. I just don’t want you to not like the things I do for you. If you do, please do tell me. I only want the best for you, and if my best is too much, then you have to tell me.”

“Of course Hannibal, I promise I will tell you if it’s too much, but if all of this was too much, I’d have already told you. You don’t need have to be worried, please. I’m so happy you’re doing all of this for me, it’s amazing really and I really appreciate it. So please, don’t worry I won’t like it. Please”, Will pleaded, digging his face into Hannibal’s chest and sighing pleasantly as Hannibal hugged him even tighter.

He faced Hannibal and the other man leaned down and kissed him passionately. Their lips bumped into each other and Hannibal pushed his tongue into Will’s mouth. Will moaned and sucked on Hannibal’s tongue, sending shivers down Hannibal’s spine. He guided Will into the bedroom, closing the door with the kiss still locked between them. Will crawled up on the king-sized bed, waiting for Hannibal to join him.

Hannibal pulled off his clothes, standing only in his boxers in front of Will who was already naked. Hannibal climbed on top the bed and lay down beside Will, looking at his flushed face. Will cupped his hands around Hannibal’s neck and pulled him close to his face, kissing his lips thoroughly and playing with his tongue.

Hannibal moaned, the feeling of Will’s tongue in his mouth sent shivers all over his body. Will eagerly pulled Hannibal’s boxers down and threw them away to the floor. Hannibal took a shaky breath when he felt Will’s naked body next to his, the sensation made his whole body burn. Will held Hannibal’s gaze as he took his erection in his hand, pumping it slowly which caused Hannibal to groan madly in pleasure. Will quickened the pace while kissing Hannibal’s lips hungrily, moaning into the other man’s mouth as Hannibal took hold of his erection. Hannibal’s breathing quickened as he already was close, he whispered Will’s name with a heavy need as he came, trembling as the semen painted his stomach white.

Will kissed him lovingly, he loved seeing Hannibal like this, open and warm, quivering from his touch. He reached for the bedside table to get a handkerchief, instead he found a tube with lube. Did the hotel staff knew a gay couple would stay here? He chuckled at the thought and showed the lube to Hannibal.

“Did you tell them a gay couple was coming?”

Hannibal grinned and shook his head.

“No, I didn’t.”

Will kissed his nose playfully and opened the tube.

“Do you know how to do this Will?” Hannibal asked, his erection already hard and twitching as Will nodded, smearing one of his fingers with the lubrication. He kissed Hannibal passionately before he positioned himself underneath Hannibal, stroking his hole with his lubricated finger.

Hannibal’s hole twitched as Will’s finger entered him. Will moaned when the insane warmth enveloped his finger, he had always imagined Hannibal’s inside as cold as his outside, but those thoughts disappeared in an instance. He drew the finger slowly in and out, preparing his lover. Hannibal moaned loudly as Will’s finger filled him, the sensation made his stomach burn. He was close again and had to bite his hand to stop himself from coming. Will smeared his erection with the lube and put the head of his dick to Hannibal’s hole, slowly filling him. He moaned loudly when the heat closed around him.

Hannibal gasped when Will stopped, completely filling him. Tears frightened to overflow his eyes by the sheer pleasure and beauty of this moment. Will started moving and Hannibal met him, soon they were in a perfect rhythm with each other. Will’s breathing grew rapid as the heat spread, sending waves of pleasure through him.

“Will, I _need_ you”, Hannibal suddenly said, his voice thick with desire mixed with deep emotion. His eyes were teary and filled with deep love as he looked upon Will.

That was enough for Will to get over the edge. He breathed Hannibal’s name as he emptied himself, ending up shuddering with pleasure against Hannibal’s chest. Hannibal was moaning Will’s name incoherently as he buried his face in Will’s curls, semen spraying over his stomach as he came. They caught their breaths for a moment, Will listened to Hannibal’s heart as it fluttered madly inside his chest, slowly calming down as Hannibal’s body relaxed. Only Will could cause a reaction like that from him.

Will carefully slid out of Hannibal and this time, he found a handkerchief from the bedside table and wiped away their fluids before laying down beside Hannibal, snuggling close to his neck. Hannibal put an arm around Will’s shoulders, whispering sweet nothings in his ear before they drifted off to sleep.

-

An alarm clock rung angrily, Will rose stiffened with his breath stuck in his throat as it woke him. He pushed the button and killed the annoying sound. Birds were chirping outside the bedroom window as the sun shone bright even though evening was near. He had slept through their first day in Florence. Great… Hannibal was nowhere to be seen. Why couldn't he just wake him before he went up? He had set an alarm at least… Will sighed and rose from the bed, remembering their shared morning together as he set the bed. It had been beautiful and he would cherish it forever. The image of Hannibal’s face full of need burned in front of his eyes, he would never forget it as long as he lived. Hannibal Lecter _needing_ him.

He dressed himself in a gown made of silk and went out to the kitchen to find something to eat.

-

Hannibal was sitting on the terrace smoking on a cigarette as he watched tourists walking together, taking pictures of the trees and small rivers that surrounded them. A squirrel climbed down a tree, making its way through the grass and stopping. The girl who chased it laughed as the squirrel suddenly climbed up her leg and stayed on her shoulder. The mother to the child took a quick photo of her daughter and the squirrel before the animal ran away.

Tiredness stung in Hannibal’s eyes as he watched the family. He hadn’t been sleeping much since his shared moment with Will. Only an hour or so. Nightmares about Abigail had filled his dreams, so instead of trying to sleep he had set an alarm for Will and then gotten out of the bedroom. He taken a stroll in the park, taking in the scenery and the feeling of freedom before he had returned to the terrace.

The mother hugged her daughter and kissed her cheek, then they walked away hand in hand. A stab of regret filled him as the image of Abigail dying next to Will, bleeding her throat out on the floor, burning in front of his eyes. If only Will had chosen him… Then Abigail would still be alive. They would be a complete family, now they were only a half, a sliver of something that could have been. He smoked the last straw of the cigarette before he stubbed it and sighed deeply as he saw the cigarette dying.

“Here you are", Will said pleasingly as he sat down in one of the expensive chairs, placing his plate with food on the table. “I ordered some food from the hotel restaurant for us", he said, pleased with himself and placed another plate next to Hannibal. Scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes and sausage stared back at Hannibal and he felt his stomach churn at the sight of it.

“Thank you Will but I'm not hungry. I was planning on eating out in the town but I guess that will have to wait," he said sweetly and smiled.

Will smiled awkwardly.

“I didn’t know that, but thanks for telling me," he said and started eating the food hungrily.

“When did you start smoking?” he asked, nodding to the stubbed cigarette with his mouth filled with pancakes.

Hannibal looked a bit uncomfortable, he was a bit ashamed over his bad habit. It didn’t really suit him.

”A couple of years ago, before you and I knew each other. But I smoke only when I really need it, which is rarely.”

”Only when you need it? Did something happen?” Will asked, worried that he had made something wrong when they had enjoyed each other. Hannibal noticed his worry and shook his head firmly.

”Don’t even think you made something wrong Will”, he said sternly. ”I’ve had trouble sleeping, that’s all.”

Will nodded, eating the last bit of a sausage and sunk down into the chair, feeling stuffed and happy.

”I should shower... And get a haircut”, he stated. Hannibal looked at him, his brown curly hair reached a bit down beneath his chin, being longer than it ever had been before. He didn't look like the Will he had met those years ago but he was still as beautiful. The scar tissue on his cheek was healing nicely, it was still red but not as bright. Hannibal would be surprised if anyone recognized him as Will Graham.

“Don't cut your hair yet, it is a good disguise considering the circumstances. Let it grow”, he smiled and touched a strand of Will’s hair. It was so soft.

“You're right, I should keep it as long as we need to be hidden. Though I'm allowed to shave, right?” He asked teasingly, and stroke Hannibal’s cheek with his fingertips. Hannibal’s hair has grown quite a bit since they had cut it in prison. He still looked a lot like himself, just a bit more rugged and… Human. More scarred as well. Though with the glasses on, he looked more like his Lucas persona than Hannibal.

“Yes you're allowed to shave Will. Don't let me stop you”, Hannibal grinned and kissed Will’s fingertips softly. ”Speaking of outfits; I need to dye my hair to get away from my characteristic appearance. Before we go out to town later, will you help me dye it?”

Will grinned, helping Hannibal was something he loved doing.

“What color? Do you need me to buy it? Or do you have it already?”

“I have already bought it. It's in the suit case. Should we start right now?” he teased and Will nodded approvingly.

They went back into the room and proceeded to the bathroom. Hannibal took off his shirt and waited while Will prepared the hair dye. Hannibal sat down on the edge of the enormous bathtub. Will returned, holding a plastic bowl between his hands. He stopped in front of Hannibal and begun parting his hair into layers, dying each of it. Hannibal sneaked his bare arms underneath Will’s gown, feeling his warm skin touching his.

“Hannibal, it's very hard to help you when you can't keep away from me!” Will protested, stepping backwards. The gown parted and revealed his naked body. Hannibal smirked, his hair full with dye.

“It's hard, you're intoxicating, and I feel more alive when I’m near you”, he confessed. Will's cheeks turned a bit red, he closed the gown, hiding himself from Hannibal’s eyes.

“I’m glad you think so”, he grinned. “But let me help you with your hair first”, he added.

Hannibal pouted jokingly.

“Okay then”, he said and turned around to let Will finish.

-

Hannibal dried his newly dyed hair, looking at the man reflected in the mirror. He looked nothing like his usual self. His hair was dark brown with blonde streaks and with the thin, black glasses on, he had transformed completely into Lucas. Will stood beside him, his face white by shaving cream, a smile playing on his lips.

“You look nothing as the psychiatrist I met all those years ago. You look like a family man, a single parent maybe? You are working as a pre-school teacher and you love your job,” Will said, he'd used his peculiar talent on Hannibal.

Hannibal grinned at him.

“A preschool teacher you say? That’s a really suiting job for someone like me. A cold, heartless murderer that eats people”, his grin grew wider.

Will chuckled softly, dimples showing through the shaving cream. He started shaving himself, leaving only a little stubble around his mouth and on his chin.

“It's your design”, he teased and hissed. A small streak of blood trailed its way from his cheek.

“I suck at shaving!” he complained and reached for a piece of paper to wipe the blood away.

Hannibal caught his wrist, and wiped away the blood with his thumb. He tasted it, the iron-like taste filling his mouth. _Oh_ , he'd missed it.

Will saw Hannibal's eyes growing darker from the taste of his blood. His heart skipped a beat in sudden fright. He’d almost forgot that Hannibal had a peculiar taste for human flesh. He had been without it for so long, had he reached his limit?

Hannibal suddenly went out from the bathroom, he locked himself inside the bedroom, sinking to the floor, breathing heavily. He looked at his shaking hands. His body craved after it, it was like an addiction. He tried calming down by taking deep breaths, but his hands kept trembling. He was reaching his limit, he knew it.

A knock on the door.

“Hannibal?” Will asked worryingly, “Are you all right?”

Hannibal's heart ached by Will’s innocence. No, he was not all right. He’d never be. He needed human flesh like a drug addict needs his injections. He swallowed, staring at his hands, sweat ran along his spine. His skin was clammy.

“I am all right Will, I will be out there in a second”, he replied and tried to collect himself.

“Okay…” Will said with concern and Hannibal heard him walking away.

Hannibal rose from the floor with shaking legs, proceeding to dress himself to think about other things than Will’s blood. He chose a dark blue shirt with a black vest on top on it, matching it with black pants. He buttoned the buttons over his rapidly beating heart and went out from the room.

He was met by a plaid shirt-jeans wearing Will waiting for him on the large sofa. Was he going to wear _that_ for dinner? Very well then.

“Lucas”, Will said, trying to ease the tense atmosphere.

“Adam”, Hannibal said numbly and joined him on the sofa. Will snaked his arms around Hannibal, digging his face into the end of Hannibal's throat.

Hannibal embraced Will, sighing into his hair and closed his eyes. He would never hurt him, never eat a piece of him, and never put any of his cannibalistic needs on him. He was going to make him his protégé, but he would never take a piece of him.

“Do you want some wine before we go?” he asked plainly to avoid the subject. Will shook his head.

“I’m fine, let’s go”, Will said and they locked their room and went out to fetch a taxi.

-

The sun danced its rays into the water, making it glimmer beautifully under Ponte Vecchio. Hannibal and Will were walking beside each other with their hands entwined. Will had just told a really bad joke which Hannibal was laughing at. They had just eaten a pricey dinner and was on their way to a club. Will had been feeling like dancing and Hannibal couldn't refuse any of his wishes, so here they were.

“Lucas”, Will said suddenly, stopping his steps. He used Hannibal's persona’s name to avoid any suspicion.

“Yes Adam?” Hannibal asked, looking at Will.

Will dug into his pockets and fished up his phone.

“We should take a picture of us, here on the bridge”, he said enthusiastically, preparing the phone’s camera function.

Hannibal felt uncomfortable, he wasn't fond of photographs, but he guessed it would be okay if it was with Will.

They stopped at the middle of the bridge and leaned against the railing, Will lifted his phone in front of them, their faces reflected on the screen and snapped a couple of photos of them. They smiled together, looking truly happy being with each other. An ordinary photo that told nothing of their dark past.

“Thank you Luke”, Will beamed and returned his phone to his pocket. He grabbed Hannibal’s hand again and they gazed over the scenery for a couple of minutes before going to the club.

Techno music filled the thick air as they entered the club. It was crowded with people, dancing everywhere on every surface. Hannibal immediately got a throbbing headache from the music and the lack of oxygen. He hated clubbing. He had done it once when he had tried to be an ordinary person. He couldn’t grasp why Will wanted to do something like this. They scrambled through the mass of people and sat down at the equally filled bar. Will ordered a Bloody Mary to him and a Dry Martini for Hannibal. He said something but Hannibal couldn’t hear him over the noise.

“DO YOU WANNA DANCE?” Will screamed at the top of his lungs, his eyes shining hopefully in the blinking green and red light.

Hannibal gazed over at the crowded dance area, his heart beating a little faster. He hated dancing, at least like they did here, and he hated being in such a crowded room with abhorrent music and no oxygen. Will drank his Bloody Mary and reached out his hand to Hannibal, inviting him to dance.

“PLEASE HANN – I MEAN LUCAS!”

Hannibal bit his lips and pushed down the urge of saying no. He nodded and let Will guide him to the dance floor.

“I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO DANCE LIKE THIS ADAM”, Hannibal shouted awkwardly while looking around him, seeing the people dancing in rhythm to the pounding music. A very intoxicated girl came in between them, her gaze locked on Will. Hannibal could smell the alcohol in her blood. She grabbed Will’s face and kissed him sloppily.

Hannibal growled a Lithuanian swear word and grabbed the girl’s shoulder, pushing her away from Will.

“He is mine!” he growled at her in Lithuanian. She bumped down on the floor and hit her head, she screamed of pain and a list of Italian profanity flew at him. The smell of blood filled Hannibal’s nostrils, he grabbed Will’s wrist and moved away from the dance floor, close to the toilets where it was a bit calmer. He wanted to get out of here, now, before anything bad happened.

“What happened back there Lucas?” Will asked shocked, looking at Hannibal’s face with an intense gaze.

“No one expect me are allowed to kiss you or touch you like that!” he hissed angrily, grabbing Will’s shoulders tightly. His worry came back, what if Will had liked the girl kissing him? What if he missed kissing girls? His heart sank in his chest, he released Will’s shoulder, his body being limp. Will noticed his change in behavior.

“What’s wrong Hanni - Lucas? What’s gotten into you?” Will asked worriedly and held Hannibal’s hands to his heart.

Hannibal collected himself and put a mask over his face.

“No it’s nothing. I overreacted”, he said numbly. “Let’s dance, that was what you wanted yes?” He tried. Will still looked hesitant but he took Hannibal back to the dance floor. The DJ changed songs, now it was a much slower song that suited Hannibal’s taste more. Will drew him close and they danced cheek to cheek until the song ended.

“I need to use the bathroom, then we can take a taxi back to the hotel”, Will said after the song’s end and they went back to the toilet area. Will queued for a while until it finally was his turn, he went into the toilet cubicle while Hannibal was waiting outside for him.

“I’m ready to go now Lucas”, Will said, grabbing Hannibal’s shoulder. He turned around and it wasn’t Hannibal that was looking back at him. This was someone else.

“Sorry!” Will excused himself and searched for Hannibal in the still crowded club but couldn’t find him anywhere. He would never go without him, so where was he? He asked in the bar if they had seen a dark blonde man with thin glasses but they said they hadn’t seen anyone like him. Worry began gnawing at Will’s heart as he realized Hannibal had gone missing. He walked out of the club and looked everywhere on the road connected to the club and asked everyone that passed him if they had seen someone looking like Hannibal but they hadn’t. He was close to panicking when he called Hannibal, hoping that he would answer but he didn’t.

Will drew his hand through his hair, pondering on what to do while the panic kept building inside him. He called a taxi and went back to the hotel room, wishing Hannibal somehow had ended up there, but when he came into the hotel room, it was dark and empty. No Hannibal.

Will dropped down in the large sofa, staring in front of him, wondering if he had lost Hannibal forever. Tears burst out from his eyes and he started sobbing uncontrollably, he clutched a nearby pillow and cried into it. What if Hannibal was lying somewhere, hurt? What if the police had taken him? He sobbed until he fell asleep from exhaustion.

-

“Will”, Hannibal’s voice made Will wake up with a jerk. Hannibal’s face met him, he was bleeding from his lip, his right eye was blackened and his hair tousled. He looked worn out. Will pulled him close, drawing his scent into his lungs, digging his face into Hannibal’s chest.

“I thought you were gone, where did you go? What happened to you?” Will asked hastily, the lump in his throat threatening to take over. Hannibal dropped down next to him, leaning his head backwards, staring at the frescoed roof.

“The girl that hit her head, her madly angry boyfriend came after me while you visited the toilet. He was double my size and completely overthrew me. Someone called the police and they took him in, but he managed to get a few punches at me”, Hannibal replied slowly, closing his eyes tiredly.

“Will the police inquire you about what happened?” Will asked, stroking his fingertips over Hannibal’s chest. He was so glad Hannibal had returned, a bit bruised but still in one piece.

“No, they just left with him without doing anything with me. I think I’ll be okay”, Hannibal murmured with a sleepy voice. Will nodded, relieved that the police hadn’t taken him in. He went to the bathroom and got a cotton swab dipped in sanitizer. He dabbed it carefully on Hannibal’s lip. Hannibal didn’t make a sound, he was sleeping deeply. Will undressed him warily so he didn’t wake up. He put Hannibal’s clothes in a washing bag and then put a blanket over him, kissed his forehead before he went to the bedroom and fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.


	5. Chapter 5

Will sat down beside Hannibal on the soft bed and put his hand on his forehead. It was scorching hot and his skin was clammy. He was still sleeping, the black bruise around his eye had turned a dark shade of purple mixed with green. It looked like it really hurt.

Will caressed his cheek slowly, wondering if he was hungry. He hadn't eaten since the day before. He left the bedroom and went to the kitchen, looking through the various cookbooks Hannibal had brought with him. It seemed like all of the recipes was made by Hannibal himself, so Will assumed that all of them required human flesh to have the right taste. His stomach churned at the thought of it.

Human flesh… Cannibalism… If he was going to be with Hannibal, then he would need to adjust to his appetite. He knew Hannibal was getting desperate for it, considering his behavior the day before. Will felt sorry for him, weirdly enough, but he did. Though he didn't know if he was ready to take that step yet. If he was ready to murder another human being… For food. He had made an art of Mischa's murderer, but he hadn't killed him. Chiyoh had seen to that. Will felt a bit nauseous thinking of what he had done to the old man’s body. He sighed and closed the cookbook, wondering what he should do to make Hannibal feel better.

“ _Chicken soup. I will make him chicken soup_ ”, he thought and wrote a quick note to Hannibal where he was if Hannibal would wake up when he was gone.

Will dressed himself and went out from the hotel room, he asked in the reception where the closest store was and ordered a taxi to take him there.

-

Hannibal's mouth watered as he carefully slit open the man’s throat, the smell of blood filled the air. Fresh, warm blood leaked from the open gash. The man coughed, blood spilling out at the sides of his mouth. Hannibal licked his lips, leaned forward to the cut and tasted the blood with the tip of his tongue.

Shivers went down his spine in pleasure, his stomach growled hungrily. Oh. He had missed this so much. He put a cup underneath the wound, watched as the blood dripped into it. When it was full, he put it into the fridge and then lifted the man up to table.

The man gave Hannibal a frightened look while his life disappeared with every drop of blood that leaked out of his throat. Hannibal smiled at him, found his finest knife and buttoned up the man’s jacket. The man wheezed one last time before the light in his eyes extinguished.

Hannibal pressed the knife’s into the soft skin around the stomach, drops of blood coming out of it as he gave it more pressure, gradually, the skin opened under the edge of the knife. The organs inside steamed in the cold room. It was beautiful, it almost brought tears to Hannibal’s eyes. He fetched his finest scalpel and was about to cut away the man’s lungs when he noticed something familiar about the dead man. He put down the scalpel on the table and looked closely at the man’s face. Will. Will’s face. It was Will. He had killed Will. He let out a shocked gasp and almost tripped on his own feet. Will! Will was dead! He had killed him!

Hannibal woke up with a jolt, his heart pounded wildly in his chest as he looked around, realizing it had just been a dream. It had been a dream. Just a dream. Nothing more. He stared at his trembling hands, afraid of what they might do when he was sleeping.

“ _I shouldn’t sleep next to Will anymore. I might hurt him_ ”, he thought sadly, trying to shake the panic off him. The abstinence for human flesh grew worse with every day. He knew he wouldn’t survive long without it. He needed to kill, soon.

The hair on his arms rose as he felt the fever burning. He didn’t remember the last time he'd a fever. Will came in through the door, dressed in a silk gown and white slippers, he held a steaming bowl between his hands. His face beamed as he saw Hannibal being awake.

“You’re awake!” he said happily as he placed the bowl on the bedside table. “How are you feeling?” he asked, feeling on Hannibal’s forehead with his hand. “You’re burning up”, he said worriedly, sitting down on the side of the bed.

“I made you chicken soup! I read somewhere that it’s good for fever. It’s curry, chicken breast cut in small pieces and corn mixed together. I hope you will like it”, he said and smiled timidly, hoping Hannibal would like it.

Hannibal tried to smell it but his nasal passages was clogged with snot.

“I’m sure it’s delicious Will”, he said, his voice hoarse. Will beamed and gave him a spoon.

“Or do you want me to feed you? Like you did with me when you almost sawed my head off,” Will asked, a wolfish smile playing on his lips. Hannibal smiled faintly at the memory.

“I think I’m capable of eating myself Will, but thank you for the inquiry”, Hannibal smiled and started eating the soup. He couldn’t taste anything without his smell, but he was sure it tasted delicious.

“Thank you Will, it was great”, Hannibal said when he’d eaten the soup. Will smiled widely at him and crawled up on the bed beside him.

“I guess you want to lie here all day, resting”, Will breathed as he snuggled close to Hannibal, kissing his neck. “I would have no complaints”, he added, sighing contentedly as he heard Hannibal’s heartbeat.

“I’m sorry but yes, I think I need to rest a bit. I haven’t had a fever since I was a child, I think”, Hannibal replied and lay his arm over Will’s back, loving the feeling of his body so close to his.

“ _I should tell him about my dream. I should tell him about my abstinence, I should tell him I need human flesh_ ”, he thought anxiously, his hands trembling as the thought of killing someone danced around his mind.

“Your hands are shaking”, Will observed and took Hannibal’s hands in his. They continued shaking, even more now when Will held them.

“There is something you’re not telling me Hannibal, isn’t it?” he continued, his voice serious. He could really see through Hannibal sometimes. Hannibal swallowed nervously, not wanting him to know his weakness that couldn’t be cured.

“I think I know what it is, but I still want you to say it, in case I’m wrong”, Will said firmly and looked up at Hannibal, noticing how his heartbeat sped up. Hannibal pondered for a moment, scared of the outcome. He knew Will had promised him to never leave him the night in the cabin, but what if he changed his mind? What if what he _was_ would make Will leave him for good? What if he couldn’t bear with him?

Hannibal tried to build his words right.

“I… I have a need”, he said simply, trying to find the right words. “I need human flesh. I can’t live without it, I need it like you need your food”, Hannibal confessed nervously, his heart was beating so fast. “I’m comparable to a drug addict Will. The rush of ordinary food isn’t enough for me, I need the extra rush I only can get from human meat.”

“I know”, Will’s answer was short with no undertone of any feeling. He knew, of course he did, of course. No questions there. Of course he knew. Relief washed over him. He didn’t need to get so worked up. He could trust Will, Will had promised him to never leave him. He needed to believe in it.

Will suddenly let go of him and sat up. His face was agitated.

“I’ve known that since I started my _becoming_ and you still doubt me. You still think I would leave you, you’re still unsure of me and my love. You’re still unsure if I will continue to stay with you or not, even though I’ve fully accepted you for who you are, for _what_ you are. You still doubt me”, Will’s cheeks turned a tinge of red with anger. He slipped off the bed. “You need to fucking work with your _issues_ Hannibal! Maybe you should consider _therapy_!” he snorted angrily before slamming the door behind him.

Hannibal stared after him, shocked.

-

Will stood at the stove, staring at the soup he’d just made. Anger boiled inside him. He couldn’t understand how Hannibal could have so many trust issues. Why couldn’t he just believe him when he’d even promised him he would never leave him? He hit the pot furiously, soup spilling out over the stove. He turned away from the stove and dressed himself in the same clothes from last night to avoid going back to the bedroom and went out from the hotel. He strolled the streets in the immense heat for a while, before taking a pause on a bench next to the fountain of Neptune. Anger still bubbled inside him, he hated that Hannibal didn’t trust him. Not even after he had promised him he would stay with him. What was he supposed to do to get his trust?

-

Hannibal dragged himself from the bed, coughing and sneezing on his way to the kitchen. He saw the spilled out soup and sighed, such a shame wasting all that food. He cleaned the stove and washed the pot, thinking about Will. He sighed again, hating himself for having trust issues as Will had told him so prettily. He couldn’t help it. He was used to people not trusting him, it was something that was wedged into his spine. His hands started trembling again, remembering his dream.

“Fuck”, he thought and sat down on the chair next to the dinner table. He coughed again, the bacteria coming out of him made him feel queasy. He hated being sick. It didn’t match his image. He placed his chin on his hands, staring at the door, wondering when Will would be back.

-

Will followed his victim through a dark alley. The night had devoured the day, the moon stared down at Will, watching his every step. Nervousness tingled through Will but he ignored it. He had to do this. His victim was unaware of him right now, walking like a drunkard through the alley. He’d probably guzzled his head off this evening. No people were around, the area was completely empty. Just vacant houses and containers filled with garbage. The alley came to a dead-end and the victim turned around, facing Will.

Will smiled at him and strode in front of him to face him more closely.

“Who are you?” the man asked in broken English, giving Will a frightened gaze. He looked like a deer in the headlights of a car.

“Your enemy”, Will smiled through his balaclava, a click resonated through the quiet night, an edge of a knife glinted in the moonlight.

-

Hannibal blew his nose before looking at his wristwatch. It was soon midnight. The full moon shone through the giant window facing the park. Hannibal looked at the white round object in the sky, recalling the last full moon he’d shared with Will. It felt like such a long time ago. About a month had passed, but it felt like at least a year. So much had happened in this short amount of time. He smiled and his heart ached when he remembered Will wasn’t there to share their first anniversary together. It was his fault.

-

The knife went smoothly into the soft skin, it jabbed into the soft stomach with a gurgling noise. Thick puddles of blood poured from the opening and created black pools on the ground. The victim moaned in pain and coughed, blood splashed on the cloth that protected Will’s face. Will took a firm grip around the slimy stomach and with the other hand he cut it loose. He looked at it intensely and licked his lips, it shone black in the moonlight.

Beautiful, he thought. The victim fell limply to the ground and landed with a crunching noise. Blood slowly poured out of his head.

Will picked up his phone out of his pocket, it was close to slipping from his grasp when he dialed the number to Hannibal. Hannibal replied within two seconds, and the only thing Will told him was his coordinates.

-

Hannibal came running with his breath in his throat. A balaclava was lying next to a body on the ground. He didn’t expect to see Will’s first canvas like this, it was _his_ design. His heart skipped a beat, it was _beautiful_. The moon’s light colored the blood around Will’s arms and hands black and the piece of his canvas was lying on the ground, his head bathing in black, his arms outstretched as if he was Jesus on the cross. A sacrifice. The lamb had awakened. 

Hannibal walked slowly to Will, afraid to disturb him if he was still working on his canvas but it seemed like he had completed it. Will looked at Hannibal with dark eyes, darker than Hannibal had ever seen them. He smiled and Hannibal knew he was ready, he had been molded, transformed and now he had awakened. Will leaned down to his canvas and carved out its liver, he turned to Hannibal, holding it in between his hands. It was heavier than he had expected.

“Do you trust me now?” he asked, his voice sounding nothing like Will Graham’s. Hannibal nodded.

“I believe you”, he whispered erotically and Will offered him the liver. Hannibal took it into his hands, smelling it, it was still warm. He enjoyed the smell of raw flesh.

“Take a bite”, Hannibal asked, his voice husky and stretched it out for Will to taste, “It’s fine. Liver is something you can eat raw”, he added.

Will looked at the organ and slowly moved it to his open mouth, he stuck out his tongue and licked a part of it. A heavy taste of iron filled his mouth. He took a bite and brought it into his mouth, started chewing it. The piece was small, but it still held so much blood. The blood filled his mouth, coloring his teeth and lips crimson. Hannibal looked at Will with dilated pupils, he pulled Will to his feverish body and kissed Will’s blood tasting lips hungrily. They shared the piece of liver together, moaning in each other’s mouths as their saliva mixed together with the blood. They parted and Will took another bite of the liver, chewing and swallowing it. Enjoying it. Hannibal moaned loudly at the sight of it, he kissed Will again and shared the piece with him in their kiss. The ritual continued until the liver was fully eaten. They looked at each other in the silver light of the moon, breathing heavily. Will grabbed Hannibal’s hands, painting them red with the color from his canvas.

“I’m ready”, he whispered, his breath smelling sweet from blood. Hannibal smiled wickedly and slowly coaxed the bloodstained ring from Will’s finger.

“Put it wherever you want to. It’s _your_ design”, Hannibal breathed huskily, stroking Will’s cheek, smearing trails of blood over his skin.

Will scratched the ring’s surface with his pocket knife, erasing any sign of that he had owned it, and put it on his canvas’ finger. It shone dully in the moonlight, a remnant of something that would never return.

“I’m yours, forever”, Will whispered, bit his lips so hard they started bleeding and captured Hannibal’s lips, biting and drawing blood from them. They kissed ravenously, their blood mixing with each other. A blood oath.


	6. Chapter 6

The smell of burning flesh pierced through the houses and alleys. A woman who just come home from her night shift opened the window to her apartment. She looked out through the night and saw a small patch of orange and red a few blocks from where she lived. The smell that came into the apartment was nauseating, she ran to her phone, dialed the emergency services and within minutes the police and fire service were by the fire. By the time the police got there, the fire had already destroyed important evidence. The police classified the scene as suicide and made no further inquiry with it.

-

The birds chirped outside the terrace, a sparrow was brave enough to sit on the board, pecking at some leftover crumbs. Quickly, it flapped away when a maid came out whistling with a broom between her hands. She cleaned the terrace carefully before she went back to the hotel room, changed the sheets, cleaned the kitchen, and vacuum cleaning the entire hotel room. While she was cleaning, she thought about the two men who had lived here and wondered why they suddenly had canceled their booking, they hadn’t been here for so long. She continued to clean the room until it was spotlessly clean and left it with a sigh. She would have preferred to see more of the two mysterious men, and maybe, if they would’ve stayed, she could’ve gotten to know them better.

-

The car stopped outside the gate to the big mansion. The driver stepped out of the car and opened the trunk, took out the baggage and carried it to the entrance, put it outside the door. He returned to the car and opened the passenger door. Hannibal stepped out of the car, wearing a dark blue vest with a white shirt underneath, tie and matching dark blue trousers. His black shoes glistened in the strong sunlight. He stretched out his hand, another hand took his and out stepped Will, wearing a purple and blue plaid shirt with a dark blue blazer covering it together with white pants.

Hannibal cupped his arm around Will's waist and pulled him close, they looked at the mansion and smiled at the same time. Hannibal thanked the driver, patted on the hood and the driver drove away. Hannibal caught Will's hand in his and together they crossed the little bridge that lead to their house and took the first steps up the stairs to their new life.

Hannibal opened the door, bowed gracefully in front of Will and let him go in first. The mansion was already carefully furnished with unique decor that did not exist elsewhere. The floor was of aged mahogany, the furniture was stylish yet classic. A big black deer statue in marble was standing in the middle of the huge living room, it stared at Will with empty eyes. Will smiled at it before he continued to explore the first floor. Hannibal had been careful with the decor, everything was to his taste, except the bedroom. Hannibal had decorated it as Will would’ve wanted it. A large double bed stood against the wall in the middle of the room, on both sides of it, was a night table. The bedspreads was blue and brown striped, and on the bed lay a soft toy dog that could have been real, it looked like Winston. Opposite the bed was an open stone fireplace with a painting that represented the woods outside Will's old house in Virginia. The bedroom was a copy of his bedroom in Wolf Creek.

Will sat down on the edge of the bed, moved to tears. He hugged the Winston toy, missing the real version. He really missed having dogs in his life and wondered if Molly still took care of the dogs or if she’d gave them away. He would never know. He sighed and hugged the toy harder, pretended that it was Winston's fur he buried his face in. Footsteps could be heard outside the door and Hannibal came into the room. He sat down next to Will with his hands in his lap.

"Do you like it?" he asked softly.

Will continued to keep Winston in his arms, he felt like a child who lost his mother in the store. He shifted his gaze to Hannibal's face and gave him a small smile.

"I love it. It feels like I'm in Wolf Trap again. Thank you," he whispered tenderly, scratched Toy Winston behind the ears.

Hannibal sighed softly and moved closer Will, their shoulders touching each other. Will looked up at Hannibal leaned against Will's face, their lips touched each other. Heat spread through Will's body when he felt Hannibal's lips against his. The kiss became deeper, Hannibal met Will's tongue with his, and they tasted each other before Hannibal sucked hold of Will's tongue.

Will could feel the moan that came from Hannibal's throat, low and vibrating. Will climbed over to Hannibal's lap, the kiss still between them. He forced down Hannibal in laying position. Will dropped his mouth from Hannibal's lips to his neck, felt his fluttering jugular against his lips. He covered Hannibal's jaw line with kisses before he climbed up toward his mouth again, a kiss for each jump, before he finally caught his lips. They kissed until their lips were sore.

Will broke the kiss, breathing hard as he sat astride Hannibal. The wound he had on his lip from their blood oath opened and small streaks of blood dripped down along his chin.

Hannibal reached up and caught every drop of blood with his tongue before he unbuttoned Will’s shirt, button by button. He moaned softly when he felt the heat from Will’s skin, suddenly becoming eager and pulled Wills clothes off. Hannibal's clothes disappeared as quickly, and now their bodies were tightly pushed together.

Will straddled Hannibal again, he closed his fingers around Hannibal stiff cock and drew the skin up and down, up and down. Hannibal's breathing quickened, Will felt himself becoming harder as he saw Hannibal losing control when the semen painted his stomach white spotted.

Will bent down against Hannibal's stomach and licked up every drop, he moaned as the salty taste reached his tongue and mixed with the iron taste of his blood. Hannibal was still breathing deeply and trembled a bit from the orgasm that still held him. His cock stiffened quickly when Will began to touch himself, heard his name playing on his lips. He replaced Will's hand with his and pressed his lips against the head when Will was burned by the orgasm, caught every drop of Will's seed in his mouth, swallowing it.

Will captured Hannibal's gaze and looked at him with dark eyes. The blood continued to pour from his mouth, Hannibal licked it sexually and caught a few drops with his index finger, smeared it along Will's lips and up to his cheek. Will moaned loudly when Hannibal painted him with blood, loved the feeling of Hannibal's gentle fingers over his skin. Hannibal placed his tongue against the blood and licked it up, felt it running down into his stomach, filling him with heat. Another part of Will that was his.

Will sighed with pleasure and took Hannibal's blood-stained hand, brought it to his mouth and kissed it. Hannibal suddenly took hold of Will’s face and painted himself with Will's blood, moaned when he felt the liquid touch him.

Will broke from Hannibal’s grip and kissed his lips before he dug his face into Hannibal's neck, closed his arms around his body, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you," he murmured, and Hannibal smiled, returning his hug.

"Thank you," he breathed and kissed Will’s forehead.

-

Will sank into the black couch and opened the newspaper. It was in Italian, so he didn’t understand much, but the article on the front showed the scene where he had killed his first prey. He looked at the pictures of the murder scene and grinned widely, no one would know that it was him who had done it. A thrill ripped through his body, he longed for the next time he would go hunting. Hopefully Hannibal would be with him this time. He flipped aimlessly in the newspaper until he saw a picture on the ad side, depicting a dog and a laughing woman. He took out his phone, took pictures of the advertisement, and waited while the phone translated it for him. His face lit up when he realized what he'd work with, now in his new life.

-

Hannibal stood in the kitchen and browsed among his recipes. He hadn’t met so many people in Italy yet, so his prey-list wasn’t that big yet. He really needed to go out and meet people and take their business cards... He sighed and shut the recipe book, a beaming Will met him with a newspaper ad in his hands.

"Hannibal, I found my job!" he said happily, pointing to a picture of a woman and a dog. Hannibal raised a skeptical eyebrow,

"Really?" he said questioningly, and read the text below the image.

"Private dog masseur? Are you going to work with that?" he asked incredulously when he read the text. "Where would you have this business?"

Will nodded eagerly and smiled widely,

"I don’t know yet, I’ll have to take the course first, that’s what the ad is about, but hopefully I can have a premises near here. This is such a great idea, I can meet dogs without needing us to own one!"

Hannibal raised his eyebrows and shrugged,

"As you wish," he smiled, it was impossible not to give Will what he wanted. Will gave his cheek a quick kiss before he strolled away to call the people that was responsible for the ad. Hopefully they'd give the course in English as well.

Hannibal waited until Will was done talking, Will had received a positive response. They would offer an English version of the course and it began in about one week.

"I’m very happy for you Will”, Hannibal said softly and stroke Will’s cheek.   
“I have something to show you," he added and Will followed him upstairs. They stepped into a large dark room, Hannibal turned on the light and two mannequins dressed in translucent vinyl costumes met them. Will raised his eyebrows at the sight, went to the costume he assumed was his and looked at the glossy material.

"Now that your transformation is complete, you dress in this, whenever we are out hunting," Hannibal smiled proudly and stood beside Will. "It is tailor-made for you," he added.

Will nodded and continued looking on the suit.

"Are you saying that we are going hunting today?"

Hannibal's eyes became darker and he smiled coldly.

"Yes, everything is already prepared in the car," he said breathlessly while his pupils grew large. Will nodded and smiled big. This day would be perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is really rushed and short, but I needed to get it done and I'm tired cause it's 4 AM. Hope you like it.


	7. Chapter 7

Their prey was a young man, around 16 years old, probably older. It was around ten at night, no one in the carefully selected park could be seen except their prey who slept sweetly in the shade of a tree. The sun was low in the sky, soon it would disappear, and darkness would take over the sky.

Hannibal parked the car a good distance away from the entrance to the park and made sure that no eye watched them as they stepped out of the car. A warm feeling spread through him when he saw Will dress in the suit; _finally_ , he was ready, _finally_ , they would hunt together. He opened the trunk and looked at the gear they had brought. He handed a knife to Will in case it was necessary and fished out a syringe with anesthetic agents from a bag. He tested it once before he nodded at Will, they were ready to begin the hunt. Will grabbed Hannibal's hand and together, hand in hand, they went to their unknowing prey.

They stopped in front of him, Will squatted at the target and flicked him on the nose to see if there was any reaction. None. The youth continued to sleep deeply. Hannibal grabbed the young man's arm with a gloved hand and flicked the vein in the crook of his arm, tested the syringe before he pushed the tip through the skin and shot the content into the body. It only took a few seconds until the boy’s body was limp. Hannibal nodded to Will and together they quickly carried the body back to the car and drove away. No one had seen them, and none of them had left a trace behind.

-

The knife's edge glistened threateningly in the bright fluorescent light, Hannibal drove the edge one the last time against the grinding machine before he considered it enough sharpened. He stood beside Will who looked at anesthetized boy on the metal table and handed the crooked knife to him.

Will looked at the knife in his hand and smiled wickedly.

"You gave me a smile with this. It's the same knife, huh?" he grinned darkly.

Hannibal nodded and licked his mouth playfully.

"That's right," he said calmly, "I have marked where you’re going to cut, if there are any questions then just ask," he said and looked at Will with dilated pupils. The black almost took over the iris, the hunger that was in Hannibal had devoured his humanity. Will shuddered at the sight with mixed emotions; both scared and thrilled, and wondered if his eyes looked the same.

Hunger was growling in his stomach when Hannibal marked every part of the body he would cut. He could feel the smooth flavor of the liver he had eaten when Hannibal whispered that he could start, his stomach churned in longing to feel the same taste again. His hand trembled slightly when the knife's curved edge sank into the soft skin, streaks of blood flowed up and colored the olive-brown skin red. Will continued to follow the black line Hannibal had painted until it stopped. Hannibal helped him to lift off the large loose piece of skin that still covered the insides and threw it into a garbage can.

The boy's body jerked in pain but none of the men cared about it. They were bewitched by the guts that now lay bare in front of their eyes. Will swallowed hard when the urge in his stomach grew stronger by the sight of the dark red liver. Hannibal kissed his cheek lovingly when he saw his reaction.

"You can start cutting out the liver and intestines, I will take the heart, then together, we cut out the thigh muscles and back muscles," Hannibal said huskily and looked at Will with black eyes. Will could swear Hannibal was aroused.

Will nodded in reply and made a careful incision at the organs ends to get them loose. It felt as if he had done this forever, like he was _made_ for it. It was a strange feeling, but it still felt so _right_. Splashes of blood stained his face, but he didn’t care about it, the same thing had happened to him countless times when he flayed fish and this was _much_ tastier than fish.

He closed his trembling fingers around the hot guts, careful not to drop them, and put them in a container Hannibal had prepared for them. He went back to Hannibal and watched as he carved out the heart with surgical precision. Hannibal took the muscle out of its place, just a gaping hole was left in the middle of the boy's chest. He showed the heart to Will and smiled, his pointed teeth gleamed in the light like a predator’s.

"Fascinating, isn’t it?" he said softly and gave the heart a weak squeeze, blood spurted from arteries and stained them. Hannibal closed his eyes as he licked off the blood around his mouth. Will stared awkwardly at him and wiped away a drop of blood that had its way into his eye. Hannibal opened his eyes, the black orbs that was his eyes stared hungrily at Will, a hard kiss landed on Will's lips. Will closed his eyes, welcomed Hannibal's tongue into his mouth and felt desire burning from Hannibal's body. The scab that had formed on Will’s lower lip burst, he hissed from pain and a few drops of blood found their way into the kiss. A low moan vibrated from Hannibal's throat, and he suddenly yanked away from the kiss.

"We need to continue, can’t wait for too long," he muttered, and put the heart into the container along with the other organs.

Will felt a bit taken aback by the sudden change in Hannibal's behavior but he continued to cut up the prey with him. They worked late into the night and when they were done, there was not much of the boy left. All meat except the intestines was in the freezer, Hannibal had just cleaned them, now they lay in a bucket filled with brine to soften. Will sat tired on a chair, fatigue stung in his eyes and his lip was still sore, it seemed that the wound would never heal, though that was Hannibal’s fault. He grinned at the thought.

"Will, what do you do want to make of our first prey?" Hannibal asked while wiping his hands with a towel. His eyes had returned to normal, he looked human again, the animal inside him had been saturated. For now.

"Should we plant flowers in him? Use him as a flowerbed?” Hannibal suggested.

Will looked at him, a frown formed between his eyebrows. "Are you serious?" he asked and almost laughed derisively. Hannibal had a hurt expression on his face before he masked it in the space of a second.

"Yes, Will. Why would not I be serious?" he replied dryly and sank down on the chair next to Will. He stretched his tired neck and sighed, it had been a lot of work, but now they had food that would last long. _Real_ food.

Will shrugged,

"Sometimes it's hard to know. You don’t want to show the world our first canvas together?" he smiled mischievously, remembering Hannibal's beautiful canvases he had made through the years and hoped they would do one together.

Hannibal shook his head,

"No. Then the world will know that we are alive and Jack will go after us. We can’t do that yet. It's too risky."

Will nodded understandingly,

"Okay, but what do you think we do with the body then?"

"Either we make a flowerbed of him, or we simply burn him up. I would love to make a flower bed but if you think it’s too-", he paused, looking for the right word,”- _Odd_ , then we don’t have to do it."

Will smiled widely and shrugged again,

"Do what you want. This lifestyle that I’ve embraced is already odd in itself, so I don’t we can do anything that’s more _odd_ than this”, he said and took Hannibal's hand in his, brought it to his sore lips and kissed it affectionately.

Hannibal looked happily at him and smiled broadly,

"Then I'll buy the flower seeds and soil tomorrow when you’re out buying literature for your course."

"Do it," said Will.

They got up from the chairs, turned off the light in the room and locked the three doors that protected the slaughter room.

-

"Hannibal," the quiet voice reached his mind and he registered it as something he knew.  
A certain fear crept into him, he turned toward the direction the voice came from and ignored the people who talked and walked around in the flower shop. A blonde woman stood behind a small apple tree and looked at him. Hannibal bit his jaws together and went to the woman with heavy steps. _Bedelia_. The woman was dressed in a long black coat and a thick scarf that covered her face partially.

"Was it me you were talking to?" Hannibal asked, he didn’t want to draw suspicion to himself if someone had heard his birth name. He moved a piece of his blond hair to the side with a flick of his head.

The woman nodded and looked anxiously around her as if she were being chased.

"A little bird told me that you moved here," the woman said and smiled slightly, "Thought I could visit," she added.

"Can we take this somewhere else? Somewhere less crowded?” Hannibal hissed between his teeth and the woman nodded and disappeared silently out of the store.

Hannibal paid for the flower seeds and soil, went to his car and packed the goods into the trunk. He closed the door and sat down in the front seat, Bedelia was already sitting beside him in the passenger seat. She took off her scarf quickly and showed her face. _Chiyoh_ , not Bedelia. He was relieved it was not her.

"From whom did you hear that we moved here? And why did you greet me like that?" Hannibal had no time for niceness. He and Will’s life together could be at stake if someone knew they were still alive and that they had moved here. Chiyoh grinned and stroked Hannibal's cheek with her fingertips.

"I missed you too," she smiled. "You look good in blonde hair!”

"Answer my question! Who told you?" he growled angrily, panic burned in him but he masked it well. If someone knew they moved here, he and Will had to move immediately. The idea made his chest ache. Always on the run... Never free. He wondered if he ever would be free together with Will.

"I haven’t heard it from anyone, but I came to that conclusion myself. Buying a mansion when you’re named Lucas and have ordinary clothes, not so secret in my opinion. You understand that, right?” Chiyoh snorted, annoyed at him, she looked like a child with her arms crossed over her chest.

Hannibal was relieved, no one was following them. Yet.

"I thought I was clear enough with my fake documents about my alleged father, his inheritance and his estate outside Florence. Apparently not enough for you," Hannibal smiled with a shrug and caressed Chiyoh’s cheek lightly. He had missed his childhood friend, too many years had passed since they last had seen each other.

"Nothing you do escapes me Hannibal. How is it going with your "new" life that’s not so unlike your old one? The only new thing about your new life is that you’re fucking your lover in his ass this time," Her vulgar language made Hannibal frown. "He was a good kisser," she added, grinning wide.

Hannibal looked angrily at her, he was still angry at her for kissing _his_ Will, even if it had not been with genuine emotion.

"All is well with my new life, thanks for asking, and I love to fuck my lover in the ass," he replied with a poisonous voice and started the car. "Why are all annoying women in my life blonde?" he added and pulled from the car park.

Chiyoh smiled whimsically and took off her wig, her black hair flowed beautifully down over her shoulders.

"Good thing I'm not blonde then," she said, smiling and snapped on her seatbelt.

-

Will put the book back on the shelf and looked through the literature list again. Had he really read it right? He sighed and looked through the books on the shelves, searching for the author's name but couldn’t find it.

"Need help?" asked a bespectacled librarian, she stood beside Will, he looked at her and she drew startled breath when she saw the big scar on his cheek. Will suddenly felt disgusted with himself and turned his face away from her. He hurried away from her and hid the scar with his hand. The librarian came after him however and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Excuse me," she said in broken English, and smiled apologetically at him. "Need help?" She asked again and looked at his face without fear this time. Will nodded and pointed to the book title in the literature list.

"I have tried to find it on an e-shop on the internet, but it was out of stock. That’s why I made my way here and now I can’t find it here either," he explained in simple English and hoped he was not talking too fast for her. She nodded understandingly, they went back to the animal department of the library and after a few minutes of searching she found the book down behind another book on the shelf. Will smiled gratefully at her.

"Thank you," he said in Italian and bowed slightly with his head.

"You’re starting a dog masseur course?" she asked curiously. She was quite pretty, she had light blond hair, blue eyes and a heart-shaped face. Not too much makeup.

"I was thinking about it. Dogs are a big interest for me and I hope to start my own business," he said, smiling and stroking the front page of his fingers. The dog on the cover was cute.

The librarian nodded approvingly. "It sounds good, we need more people who are interested in dogs and their well-being. My sister worked as a dog masseuse but after an accident, she had to stop," her face became sad. "I'll make sure she visit you with her dogs when you started your business. Please tell me when you’ve started your business,” she said with a wink.

Will was surprised by her niceness, but it was fun to talk to someone who was positive of his future profession. He appreciated it.

"Of course!" he smiled happily.

They went to the counter, on their way there, they talked about everything. Her name was Ceri, born and raised in Florence and she loved her job as a librarian.

Ceri took the book and scanned it, a receipt was printed and she put it in the beginning of the book and handed it to Will.

"What did you say your name was?" she asked and smiled at him.

"Adam," replied Will almost too quickly with a quick smile. He had been close to saying Will.

Ceri nodded,

"Okay Adam, then we’ve decided that you come here when you're done with your education,” she laughed, and Will nodded.

"I will make sure to!” he said happily and left the library, a friend richer.

-

"It’s a grand house you have here Hannibal," said Chiyoh while she walked around the mansion's first floor. She stopped at the stag statue, caressed its hard nose.

"What do you mean with this? And why is it in the middle of everything?" She asked curiously and looked into its empty eyes.

Hannibal gazed softly at Chiyoh and the stag.

"You could say that it is a symbol for me and Will," he said lightly and filled the sausage with meat.

Chiyoh nodded slowly and looked around the living room.

"Why?" She asked.

Hannibal sighed to himself, he didn’t understand why she always was so inquisitive.

"Our relationship started heavily related to hunting and stags. Will saw me in the shape of a stag in his dreams and I used the symbols of stags and horns in my canvases," he explained.

"Hmm,” Chiyoh pondered thoughtfully and took a few dance steps around the statue.

"If you had asked me all those years ago when we were children, if you would be fully committed to a man in the future, I would have said no. To be honest, I have never seen you capable of love. You have always been an echo of a human, a faint image of empathy and emotion," she said, pondering, and moved, standing beside Hannibal.

"But it's not like that anymore. I can see you, I can see how Will has changed you. You have light in your eyes, your skin is warm, and you’re alive. He has made you a human."

Hannibal paused the stuffing of the sausage for a moment and looked at Chiyoh whose eyes glistened with tears.

"After Mischa... You were so destroyed. Cold, stripped down. It was as if someone had sucked your soul away..." A smile played on her lips. "But Will has sewn together a new soul for you, he have brought back the Hannibal I used to know. And I am incredibly grateful for that,” she whispered hoarsely and smiled, her eyes shone with tears.

Hannibal took off his bloody rubber gloves and pulled her to him, hugging her tightly.

"I've never felt as alive as I do now," he murmured and thought of the night in the cabin.  
"He touched _me_ , willfully," he said quietly as he stroked the top of her hair.

She nodded against his chest and he felt how she smiled. They hugged for a moment before she moved away from his embrace.

"The only thing required now is for you to stop punishing yourself. What happened to Mischa… It was not your fault Hannibal," she said firmly, her gaze wandered over the unfinished sausage. She made a disgusted expression.

A stab of anger bit Hannibal's stomach. What did she think she was saying?!

"My food preferences have _nothing_ to do with Mischa," he hissed angrily and put on the gloves again. Chiyoh gave him a defiant look.

"Your food preferences _do_ have something to do with Mischa. Before she passed away, you had absolutely no tendencies for this! What they did… It changed you!” She said irritably, gesturing toward the meat on the table.

"What happened to Mischa changed you completely Hannibal, and you know it!” She said angrily, treating him as if she was his mother. “I hope you have not drawn Will into this mess!" she added.

Hannibal stuffed a large piece of meat into the sausage, his jaw was taut, his heart beating harder in his chest. He tried to hide the truth but he couldn’t. His body showed everything. He would never forget the expression on Chiyoh’s face. Her eyes stared straight through him, and she gave him a hard slap that made his head ache.

"You're completely crazy! I can’t understand this!" She exclaimed, shocked. Hannibal held his hand on the spot where she slapped him, a few drops of blood found their way out of the hole in the skin.

"You’re unable to understand it Chiyoh... Will, he's like me. We both are like _this_ ', he didn’t know how he would explain it in a good way. Chiyoh just stared at him, offended.

"I refuse to believe it!" she said. "When I met him, he was a bit like you, but that you’ve manipulated him into _your_ food preferences… I thought better of you!”

Hannibal gave her a hurt look. Her words tore into him. He would never force Will to do something he consciously hadn’t chosen himself.

"I have not manipulated him into anything! He chose it himself, he chose to be like me! _Willfully_! It was the only thing I wanted for him, for both of us. I would never coerce or manipulate him into something he doesn’t want. I love him, do you not understand that?" Hannibal's voice was monotone, the emotions bubbling in him was not noticeable in his voice.

Chiyoh's eyes became softer, she sighed and sank down on one of the kitchen chairs.

"No... I know how you feel about him. Sorry for my outburst”, she was silent for a moment, lost in her thoughts.

“But does he feel the same for you? Does it ache inside him when he look at you?"

The question hung in the air, uncertainty grew in Hannibal even though he recalled the evening when Will had murdered the man in the alley, shown him his love.

"Yes," he replied quietly, and put the finished sausage in the fridge and washed his hands. He wanted Chiyoh to leave, didn’t want her to see his insecurity despite that Will only a few days ago had showed his love for him. Uncertainty was still nagging at him, how could anyone love a monster like him?

Chiyoh pretended not to notice Hannibal’s uncertainty. She kissed him on the cheek.

"See you again soon," she said before she disappeared silently out of the house.

Hannibal sank deeper into his chair and buried his face in his hands. The lump in his throat ached, but no tears came out.

-

The door slammed and Will announced that he was at home. He had longed all day after Hannibal, it was unusual to not spend every minute with him as he had become accustomed to. He took off his jacket and hung it on its hanger, turned his steps toward the living room and the door to the patio. Hannibal sat in one of the chairs, a cigarette fuming between his fingers. Will sat on the edge of the table next to him and sucked his scent in his lungs. Feeling at home. At ease.

"I've missed you today," he murmured at the blonde hair and put his arm around Hannibal's chest, resting his head against Hannibal's head.

"Did you find the books you needed?" Hannibal asked absently and took a puff of the cigarette. The smell filled his breath, how many cigarettes had he smoked? Will glanced at the ashtray, a dozen stubbed out cigarettes crowded in it.

"Oh yeah, I met a very nice librarian who helped me to find one of them. Her sister will come with her dogs when my business is up and running," Will said happily and kissed Hannibal's cheek. Hannibal hissed in pain and moved his face away from Will. His cheek was bluish-purple and swollen.

"What happened?" Will asked, shocked and tried to catch Hannibal's gaze but he avoided him. Will cupped his hands over Hannibal's chin, brought his face to his and looked into his eyes.

"What happened Hannibal? Please, don’t avoid me," he asked, and caressed Hannibal's healthy cheek softly.

Hannibal gave him a grim look, stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray and lifted Will his lap, wrapped his arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"I stumbled on something when I bought the flower seeds," he lied, hoping that Will couldn’t see through his lie. He didn’t want to tell him about the conversation he had with Chiyoh. He didn’t want Will to see his uncertainty yet again. It could only lead to something bad.

"It looks like you've been beaten, but suppose you could get one of those wounds from an ordinary tumble,” Will muttered, not totally deceived by the lie. "I'm glad you're okay, anyway," he added, and kissed Hannibal's forehead.

Hannibal smiled weakly and enjoyed being close to Will again.

"What's for dinner tonight? Something I can help with?” Will asked to talk about something else.

"I have finished the sausage, but I was thinking about making something exclusive, but I haven’t come up with anything yet," said Hannibal.

Will nodded and stood up, he went to the kitchen and looked in the fridge, opened one of Hannibal's recipe books and skimmed through it.

"What do you say about black and white?" Will called to Hannibal who was still sitting outside.

Hannibal stubbed out his last cigarette and went into the house, feeling the rush of the over dose of nicotine when he stood up. The world was spinning for a moment.

"Sounds nice, but I’ll have to guide you if we’re going to use my type of meat”, he said softly and stood behind Will, kept his hands on Will's hip.

"Sure, it's fine," Will smiled in reply and turned, gave Hannibal's lips a feather light kiss before he went down to their slaughter room and took out two finely cut pieces of meat.

They cooked together and Hannibal thought Will was good at cooking even though he needed a little more practice. Will set the table and Hannibal took out a bottle of wine that would fit perfectly with the dish. He poured it into two glasses and lit a candle in the middle of the table. The candle holder was shaped like a deer, the candle shone like a halo between the horns.

Hannibal returned to the stove and laid up the food perfectly on each plate, then went to the table and gave the first plate to Will. He sat down, pushed the chair toward the table, grabbed the cutlery, caught Will's eyes and said:

"Bon appetit."


	8. Chapter 8

"No Will, you do it like this," said Hannibal smiling and took a gentle hold of Will's fingers, showed him how to dip the finger in the melted chocolate. Will watched carefully how he did it, followed every movement Hannibal made with his body. The fried finger from their latest prey was covered with chocolate when Hannibal dipped it into the pot, he brought it to Will's already open mouth. He smiled mischievously when Will took the first bite with his eyes closed. The smooth chocolate flavor mixed with the saltness from the oil made Will’s eyes almost water. Hannibal was a divinely talented chef and Will was fortunate to be with someone like him.

Another chocolate dipped finger touched Will’s tongue, he opened his mouth again, chewed and swallowed with enjoyment. Will met Hannibal's gaze and saw that they were dark with delight, he suddenly leaned forward, met Wills chocolate flavored lips with his and gave them a gentle kiss. Hannibal intertwined his fingers in Wills curls and deepened the kiss, their tongues touched each other and Hannibal felt the chocolate's sweetness spread in his mouth. They kissed for a few seconds before they broke apart.

"So what do you want to do today?" Hannibal asked, licking his lips. Will tasted so good.

Will shrugged and nuzzled Hannibal's nose, gave it a quick kiss.

"I don’t know, it has only just begun”, Will replied smiling against Hannibal's lips, kissing him again.

"Maybe we can go fishing? I have heard that there are good water nearby, full of different fishes. Moreover, it is early in the morning, which is a perfect time to go fishing," Hannibal suggested and caressed Wills scarred cheek. The scar had healed nicely, it was a narrow red line, roughly in the shape of a crescent moon. Hannibal smiled at the thought, they had many connections to the moon together.

"Sounds like a great idea," Will replied happily and suddenly hurried off to retrieve his fishing equipment in one of their storages. A few nights before, he had made new lures and he could hardly wait until he got to use them. He rummaged among the things in the storage room and found what he needed; two rods, a box with fishing lures and clothing suited for a day of fishing. He packed the rods and the box with lures in the car but took the clothes back to the house. Hannibal met him in the doorway, glancing at the clothes. Will thought he could see a small frown of disapproval forming in-between Hannibal's eyebrows.

"Are we going to wear _that_?" he asked, trying to cover his disapproval but Will saw through it. He sighed. Why did Hannibal have to be _so_ vain?

"Yes? This is what fishing looks like, Hannibal", he sighed, annoyed and gave a worn red plaid shirt and a pair of jeans to Hannibal. "Your rubber boots are in the car," he added, and hurried off to the bedroom to dress himself.

Hannibal rolled his eyes and reluctantly took his clothes on. They scratched his skin uncomfortably and made it itch all over. He sighed and waited patiently for Will to be finished, sat down on a chair in the hall and waited. Wondered when Chiyoh would visit again, hoping she would do it when Will was away on his class the next morning, he didn’t want them to meet again. Chiyoh might get Will astray and Hannibal couldn’t allow that.

He sighed again, disliking that Chiyoh had returned. Will came walking toward him, fully dressed in fish trimmings; cap on his head, a beige jacket, black checkered shirt and rainproof pants. Hannibal hated the clothes but Will looked so cute in them so he couldn’t resist smiling.

"You’re looking beautiful," he grinned, and Will gave him a defiant look but with a smile on his face.

"You missed this," Will said playfully and placed a purple cap on top of Hannibal's head. Hannibal looked angrily at him and was about to throw it away but Will stopped him.

"Nope, you may not. You should wear it all day, don’t forget Lucas glasses," he grinned placed the thin black glasses on top of Hannibal’s nose. Hannibal gave him a murderous look before they went out to the courtyard where the car was waiting for them. Hannibal disappeared for a moment into the storage while Will got into the car. Hannibal returned and sat down in the driver's seat.

"Let’s go," he said, and gassed. The car lurched forward smoothly and they were off.

~

Hannibal drove the car in the parking lot and parked smoothly under a tree to get some shade over the car. Will looked skeptically over the place where they had parked. A lone amateur diver swam around near the beach in the orange water, his or her snorkel poking through the water. Except for the diver, it was empty of people at the beach.

"We're fishing _here_? It's not an ideal place for fishing”, Will said disapprovingly where he sat in the trunk among the fishing gear.

Hannibal smirked at Will, a certain darkness settled in his eyes.

"It is clear that we are going to fish _here_ Will. It is the perfect place to get the finest fish on the hook," he grinned and laid a hand on Will's shoulder.

"Are you ready?" He mumbled and looked into Will's eyes, nearly drowned in the blue seas that gazed back at him. Will nodded slowly and gave his _real_ fishing gear a disappointed look before he lurched off his rubber boots, replacing them with a regular pair of shoes, and shut the trunk door.

"I guess we don’t need the fish stuff," he said quietly, and Hannibal shook his head.

"We have everything we need here," he said grinning and showed Will the handle of the crooked knife.

"Isn’t it risky to do this without the murder suits?" Will asked and was a little ashamed over his word choice for the vinyl costumes Hannibal had fixed for them. He didn’t really know what he would call them. Hannibal smiled approvingly about Will’s choice of words and shook his head slowly.

"Our DNA will disappear with the sea," he replied, and gave the knife to Will. "You are the best fisher of us”, he smiled menacingly.

Will took the knife and looked at the crooked blade while he unconsciously stroked the scar on his stomach. He sighed and went with silent steps through the sand toward their prey. A lone bird swam near the diver but it flew away when it saw Will. The diver took no notice of him, only continued to swim quietly among the calm waves. Hannibal was a few meters behind Will but stopped when Will began to wade out into the water. Will halted and looked questioningly at Hannibal.

"Are you not coming with me?" he asked, Hannibal shook his head and smiled darkly.

"Close your eyes, wade into the quiet of the stream," he said softly, and Will remembered the day Hannibal had said that to him. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment before he continued to wade out into the water with the knife tucked into his waistband, his heart beating slowly.

The fish that swam in the water hurried scared away when Will came swimming. The diver noticed the fishes swimming away in panic and looked toward Will's direction, she jerked frightened when she saw him and was about to swim up to the surface to ask what he was doing, but Will stopped her with a firm grip around her legs. She started squirming and screamed panicked for help through the snorkel, but all that came out were air bubbles.

Will took a firm grip on the knife and ran it through the lower part of her abdomen, taking care not to cut through any organs. She screamed in pain and swallowed gulps of water through the snorkel, blood poured out through the wound and floated up to the surface in swirls of red. The girl continued squirming and screaming through the snorkel until Will silenced her with a simple incision to her neck. Gushes of blood whirled toward his face, he lost his sight for a moment before he managed to swim to the surface with the girl hanging over his arm. Hannibal met him with a big grin on his face and helped him to get the girl out of the water. The blood still dripped from her, creating a red stripe along the beach. Will carried the girl to the car and laid her gently in the plastic clad back seat while Hannibal quickly covered up any traces they left behind.

Will wrapped himself in a towel that Hannibal had left for him and sat in the front seat, shook a little from the adrenaline and cold water. Hannibal sat down beside him with a proud look on his face.

"Good fishing," he said softly and stroked Wills cheek, "Now we've caught one of Florence's finest fishes," he grinned and started the engine.

Will chuckled and nodded, water dripping from his hair.

"Can we go fishing _real_ fish next time?" He asked hopefully. He had longed to go fishing with Hannibal, to stand with him in the elegant water, fishing together while the morning birds would sing around them.

"Of course we will," Hannibal smiled softly and pulled the car from the parking lot. "We will do whatever you wish for, Will," he added.

Will thought yet again that he didn’t understand what he had done to deserve Hannibal.

~

"There is someone out there who is sneaking on us," Will said worryingly, knocking on the last door to their slaughter room. He heard Hannibal jingling with something in there before he came out. His arms were red with the blood that covered them, his eyes dark and hungry. The fisherman’s clothes he had worn earlier were replaced with a white shirt and trousers. Will wondered if he would ever get used to the hunger that resided within Hannibal. He swallowed.

"Are you sure it’s not an animal?” Hannibal asked, his eyes got their usual appearance as he gazed at Will.

"Yes, it's a human being. It’s walking on two legs," Will replied and glanced behind Hannibal's shoulder. The diver was cut open on the table, it seemed as if she had been plucked completely. Their flower bed lay on a small table next to one of the walls. Some of the flowers had already grown and started to sprout. They clearly had a taste for meat.

Hannibal sighed irritably, he hated being interrupted while he worked.

"I will check on it in a minute, wait in the living room," Hannibal said and closed the door. Will stared at the door a second before he strode up the stairs and sat on the sofa in the living room. He saw a glimpse of a black-haired woman outside the patio, Will jerked, startled, and gazed at her. Who was she? He thought he recognized her but could not quite put his finger on who it was. He stood up quickly and went to the door leading to the patio. The woman stood in front of the door, smiling. _Chiyoh_. The last time he had seen her, she had pushed him from a train. He snorted at her and pulled down the blinds.

Hannibal came into the room, his arm wrapped around Will's waist.

"Chiyoh, right?" He mumbled and looked out through the blinds. She was still there, looking at them with her big eyes.

"Don’t let her inside, she has nothing to do here," Will snorted irritably and returned to the couch with his arms crossed. Hannibal sat down beside him and pulled him close.

"No," he replied silently and kissed Will's cheek. He knew, however, that she would return until she would be let in, but it had to wait. He didn’t want to speak with her right now.

~

Will went to the bus stop a few kilometers away from where they lived, the sun was high in the sky despite autumn approaching. He saw the bus shelter and sat down on the bench. He looked at the clock, two minutes until the bus would pick him up and take him to the first day of the course.

Excitement bubbled inside him, in about five weeks, he would be a dog masseur. He had already started looking for places near the manor house and had actually found a vacant location that was perfect for his dog business. He had called the current owners a few days ago and waited to get the contract. He had planned to mainly have people and their dogs coming to his place but he had also thought of going home to them if they wanted to. He wanted to be as flexible as possible.

The bus was came by and stopped with a wheeze, the doors opened. Will placed his card against the card reader and sat on a chair close to the front door. The doors closed and the bus rolled away.

~

Hannibal walked inside and looked around the restaurant. Everything seemed to be in order, nothing smelled funny and the restaurant had nice furnishings. He plastered his finest smile and walked toward the checkout, greeted the cashier and told her that he had read in the newspaper that they needed a new cook immediately and told her of his years he had worked as a gourmet chef.

The cashier seemed positive, but she said that she would take talk to her boss about it and that her boss would contact Hannibal in a few days. Hannibal felt satisfied with that answer, he walked out of the restaurant and stopped at a coffee shop a few blocks away.

He sipped a cup of Kopi Luwak coffee and enjoyed the sun that warmed his face. Opposite the café he visited was an elegant jewelry shop with the finest of jewelry a person could own. He drank his coffee, paid and went into the jewelry store, looking at engagement rings. They were in gold, white gold, rose gold, palladium, silver and white silver in all possible sizes and with different adornments.

He wondered which ring Will would enjoy the most and whether too early to get engaged now and if Will was ready for it. At least he knew that _he_ was ready. Did he dare to ask of Will’s hand or should he wait until more time had passed? Maybe he'd let Will ask him about the engagement? The questions were many and there was no answer at the moment. Hannibal left the store, pondering his decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you who're reading this are not bored with this story... I promise it will be more exciting soon.


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